Phased
by GemmaMare
Summary: Dawn is a newly shifted wolf. Stiles is Beacon Hills most eligible bachelor. Or the Teen Wolf/Twilight crossover no one asked for, but I wrote anyways.


**A.N: In case you guys get confused later, I'm just telling you now. The bold sentences are when they are talking telepathically in wolf form. If it's the same person, they will just go on into a long paragraph until they are done talking. Every time a new line break starts that is separated from the last, that means it's a new person speaking and the process gets repeated. I hope this makes sense to you guys. If any of it doesn't, feel free to contact me so I can clear anything up for you.**

 _I remember the heat.  
_ Feeling it surround my entire body and dig into my bones.

 _I remember the pain._ _ **  
**_The searing pain invading my muscles and burning through my nerves.

 _I remember running.  
_ Running into the forest and leaving my home.

 _Most of all, I remember the voices._ _ **  
**_The voices, echoing inside my head.

I remember screaming, pleading, _begging_ for them to be silent.  
I remember them finally doing just that…  
Only to come back again, raging in my mind full force.

I fell to the ground, not knowing but not caring where I was.  
I tried to cover my ears, even if I knew that it was pointless to try and block them.  
But I couldn't.  
I couldn't move.

I remember closing my eyes and feeling a darkness pull at the edge of my mind, beyond the voices. Beyond the pain. It pulled me towards it, a soft persuasion to give in, to just let go.

Incredibly, the voices grew louder, telling me not to do it, saying that they would find me.

I didn't want them to find me.  
I just wanted to sleep.

So I ignored the voices, and fell into the black void.

 _I dreamt that I was a wolf._

I was running through the forest, all the colors swirling around me, not developing into anything. I was the only form that was made of solid matter.  
First I was seeing it from my point of view. But then it switched, so that I was now watching myself.

I thought I looked strange.  
From a distance, you might've thought I was just some sort of mirage.  
A trick of the sunlight.  
A gray patch of mist moved by the wind.

But up close, you could see that I was really a wolf. A huge, definitely not normal wolf. I was twice the size of any regular wolf, but I was just as wild.

But that wasn't what made me think I was different.  
Up close, my fur was white and black-dappled all over. If you were nearby, you could see the difference. But from far away it just looked gray.

I couldn't figure out why I thought that was strange, to have white and black fur.

But I didn't have time to think about it long.  
The next thing I knew, everything is fading into blackness.

Seconds later I opened my eyes to a completely unexpected sight.

I woke laying on my right side.

Straight ahead of me, were three, giant wolves.

The one on my right was sandy colored, with black patches mixed in. He didn't seem threatening, but looked at me with a kind of curious excitement.

The one on my left, however, positively glowered at me. At the moment, I wondered what on earth I had done to make her so mad. She had a beautiful silver and tan coat. It didn't seem to match her attitude.

Finally, there was the one in the middle.  
There was no doubt in my mind that he was the leader. His fur was a russet red-brown and he stood taller than both of the other two, almost two heads taller to be exact. He looked at me with a kind of sadness, yet at the same time looked a little peeved.

All of a sudden I heard an amused snort. Without looking, I could tell that it had come from the silver wolf.

By now, all I had done was stare at them. But that sound seemed to wake me to my senses.  
I tried to get to my feet, but I couldn't. I could barely even move.

Somehow, I managed to shove myself backwards, only to ram my back into a tree. Still, I pressed myself against it.  
But no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't make myself close my eyes.

So I watched as the three wolves advanced on me.

I scrambled my legs back and forth, trying to get my feet under me so I could run. Run as far away from here as I could.

 **She's not very coordinated, is she?**

That froze my movements completely.

Did I just….  
Did I hear that in my mind?!

 **She catches on quick, doesn't she?**

That's it. I'm going crazy.

 **Not yet, you haven't.**

Nuts. Completely psycho.

 **Erica's already the psycho. I don't think you can be to.**

I am going to spend the rest of my miserable life in an institution, talking to the voices in my head.

 **Two out of three. Your life _is_ miserable and you _are_ going to spend it talking to the voices in your head. Just not in an institution.**

Who the hell is talking to me!?

 **Oooh, girl's got spirit. I like her.**

 **You like anyone who's brave enough to talk back to anyone else.**

 **Yeah, of course I do. Means their like me. Just not as amazing.**

 **Amazing? Please. If you were half as amazing as you cl-**

 **Guys, cool it. She's already freaked out enough.**

Okay…  
What just happened?

Before I could answer that myself the lead wolf stepped forward. At the same time, a voice spoke in my mind.

 **Don't mind Isaac and Erica. You'll get used to their arguing after a while.**  
 **My name is Derek and, this might shock you but, I'm a werewolf. And now, you are too.**

I stared back at the wolf in front of me.  
Finally, I asked hesitantly in my thoughts

 **You're… the one who was talking in my mind?**

I didn't know how to react when he replied.

 **Well, yes. Me, Isaac and Erica were all talking. The fact that we can all hear each other is a… perk that comes with being a werewolf. We can all hear the other's thoughts. Not a great way to keep secrets, but it works when we're apart or unable to talk.**

I processed that for a second, momentarily surprised at how fast my mind was working.  
But then another thought hit me.

 **I…I'm a werewolf? I'm… like you guys?**

The wolf in front of me cocked his head.

 **Um, yeah.**

I blinked twice. Then asked

 **Is that why I've been so sick lately? Because I was… becoming a werewolf?**

Derek nodded.

 **The transformation is called phasing. Usually a sudden flare of some strong emotion like grief or anger triggers it. Well, that's part of it. The other part that triggers your phasing is when a vampire is near. Your natural instinct then compels you to phase, so that you can protect the tribe.**  
 **Though I am wondering why you phased. We've made peace with the Argent's, and we haven't sensed any other bloodsuckers around here. So what made you phase?**

Despite my confusion and, I'll admit it, fear, I was still me. Even if I could now apparently turn into a wolf at will.

 **How should I know? I'm still knew to this stuff.**  
 **And who the heck are the Argent's? And did you say vampires? What do you mean by 'protect the tribe'? What's going on here? And what do you mean when you say I'm like you? You're a wolf. I'm just a normal human teenage girl.**

I fired off all these questions at them. Unfortunately, it didn't seem to really affect them. They simply waited until I was done, then Derek began to answer them all.

 **Okay, first of all, you should calm down. It's not a good idea to get worked up when you phased only a few hours ago.**

I nodded and then took a deep breath to try and calm down. I felt my heart slow down and my erratic breathing return to normal. Derek gave an approving nod and then proceeded to answer my questions.

 **So, when I say you're like us, I mean that you're a werewolf, a shapeshifter.**

At this, my mouth dropped open.  
Did he mean that I…  
I could turn into a wolf?

 **That is exactly what I mean. Wait, haven't you noticed yourself yet?**

I looked down at myself.  
Then I gasped in complete and utter shock.

I was the wolf in my dream.

I had the same silky white and black fur. My legs were long and muscled, perfect for running fast and for long distances. My tail was also very long, longer than my legs and was covered in lush, thick fur. My flank and torso were, again, muscled, but not incredibly, so I didn't look totally made of muscle.

Every inch of me was built for speed and strength, full of power.  
And now that I focused on it, I felt more awake and alive than I had ever felt before.

 **How…how is this possible? I mean, how can I be…all of this?**

I heard the silver wolf, Erica, snort out loud again.

I simply gazed back at her and said

 **I seriously doubt that you were much better when you first…phased. This is…so much to try and take in all at once.**

Isaac snorted at this.

 **You're actually doing pretty well with all this. I know from personal experience that it's really hard in the beginning. But you do get the hang of it soon enough.**

I sighed in relief.

 **Good. I really don't want to spend the rest of my life as a lame wolf.**

Then I did a double take.

 **Wait. I can turn back into a normal girl, right?**

Derek laughed.

 **Yes, you can phase back. But you should probably wait.**

I frowned.

 **Why?**

Derek's response was awkward and a little sheepish sounding.

 **Um, because…when you phase back you, kind of…don't have any clothes on.**

My jaw dropped. I was speechless.

 **I…wouldn't have any clothes on? H-how come?**

Derek shook his head, as if this was an uncomfortable topic for him.  
Ha, talk about _him_ being uncomfortable.

 **When you phase, you basically rip through your clothes. So when you phase back, your clothes aren't there.**

I processed that for a second then asked

 **So am I just supposed to walk around town naked until I get another outfit?**

Erica started laughing while the two boys had the decency to look embarrassed.

 **Oh, well we, um, we usually take our clothes off before we phase and then tie them to our ankles. That way, they're there when we phase back.**

I snorted.

 **So you just walk around with shoes, socks, pants, and a shirt all attached to your feet? Wow, that must be comfortable.**

Erica laughed harder and the guys just grew more embarrassed.

Well, we don't actually wear that many clothes. Usually just some shorts.

I smirked and somehow, Erica laughed even harder. She fell to the floor and curled inward, her body shaking all over.

 **Hey, what's up with Erica? She sounds like a dying duck being eaten.**

All my feelings of amusement vanished immediately as a completely new voice entered the conversation while at the same time two more wolves appeared, walking up to us.

I gasped and scrambled unsteadily to my feet. I would have tried to run but I was barely keeping my balance as it was. One step and I was going to fall flat on my face, and probably not be able to get back up again.

I stood there gasping and staring at the wolves in terror and shock.

Once they saw my reaction, Erica stopped laughing and got to her feet and then the three of them all stepped forward.

I pressed myself back against the tree behind me and surprised everyone by doing something completely unexpected.

I growled at them.

It didn't sound anything like I thought it would. It was low and sounded dangerous even to me.

As soon as they heard it, Isaac, Erica and the two new wolves, who had come up to the line with the others, all backed up, hearing and heading my warning.

Derek, however, didn't back down. In fact, he growled right back at me.

 **Hey, calm down. We're not going to hurt you.**

I stopped growling but didn't relax.

Derek turned to the rest of the wolves and spoke.

 **Alright guys, just give her some space.**

The same new voice as before spoke up.

 **Derek, who's 'her'? Who is she? What's going on?**

Derek made to answer, then paused a moment. Then he said

 **She just phased and we were explaining everything to her. She's just scared. I mean, come on guys. Don't you remember when we first phased? She's going out of her mind. Just give her a minute.**

I was thankful to Derek for defending me and part of me felt like calming down at his words. But the other part was still wary about these strangers.

Derek turned back to me and took another step towards me. I didn't tense any more but I didn't relax either.

 **Hey, just chill for a second, okay. Let me explain.**

I hesitated a moment, then nodded.

 **Good. This is Scott and Stiles. They're other members of our pack.**

Slowly, I shifted my eyes from Derek to the two wolves.

Just by looking, and using the mind link, I could tell which one was which.  
Scott was on my left. He was a dark gray wolf with a lighter muzzle and pointy ears.

Stiles was the one who had spoken earlier. He was a solid, deep chocolate brown. His muzzle faded into black, the same with his paws and tail, and his ears weren't terribly pointy but weren't totally round either.

I looked at Scott first, then turned to Stiles.

Our eyes met and we both stopped breathing.

It hit me all at once, a mental blow to the stomach.  
I felt as though nothing else mattered at that moment.  
Not the fact that I had just phased.  
Not that I was surrounded by wolves and couldn't even walk.  
Not a million other things that were going through my head a few seconds ago.

I didn't even know what I was doing or what was happening.  
All I knew and all that mattered, was Stiles.

Distantly, I heard the voices of the other wolves, calling out questions to Stiles and I.  
But I didn't notice them, and neither did Stiles.

Stiles slowly took a step forward, then another. I relaxed as he came towards me, but didn't try and walk. I still knew I would fall.  
As Stiles continued walking slowly, I removed myself from the tree and stood waiting for him.

He finally stopped right in front of me.

We stared at each other for a moment.  
Then, as if instinctively, we both leaned towards each other.  
I reached up, as he was about a head taller than me, and he reached down.

Our noses touched, and I whimpered at the amount of emotion that flowed through both of our minds. It was like an intense need, a longing. It wasn't a lust kind of need, but more like an incredible, unbreakable bond, a desire to be near each other and never leave.

We finally pulled back but continued to stare at each other.  
After a moment though, Stiles broke the mental silence.

What's your name?

A simple question, but I had a hard time focusing to answer it.

 **Dawn**

Stiles breathed back my name with a sort of reverence. Like a loving tone.  
I dipped my head back shyly. I wasn't used to this kind of attention, even if it had only been going on for about a minute. But the sudden affection and, dare I say it, _love_ Stiles felt, was clear in his mind

All of Stiles' thought's seemed completely focused on me, not leaving any room for anything else.

Then again, I wasn't really one to talk.  
The same thing happened to me.

Suddenly, a sharp voice snapped us out of our trance.

 **Stiles!**

I knew that the voice was Derek's, but it sounded echoed, like he was saying it twice over but at the same time.

I could feel the power in that voice and knew that, normally, Stiles would have snapped to attention immediately.  
But instead of doing that this time, his head turned slowly, his eyes not leaving mine until he had turned so he couldn't look at me anymore.

Reluctantly, I looked too, wanting to see what was so important that Derek had to interrupt…whatever it was that had just happened between me and Stiles.

It surprised me to see that everyone was staring at us in shock and disbelief.  
We waited a moment, until Derek spoke again.

 **Stiles, did you just imprint?**

Wait, what?

Stiles answered my question without looking back, something that bothered me.

 **Imprinting is something that happens after you phase. When you see a certain person for the first time after phasing, you imprint on them. It's kind of like love at first sight. When you imprint on someone, you become bonded for life, no taking it back. The imprinter automatically becomes whatever the imprintee needs them to be. A friend, a lover, a brother. He knows everything about her just by looking into her eyes. Whatever she needs.**

Oh.  
Well, that explains it.

Stiles laughed softly.  
I loved the sound of it.

Scott interrupted my trance again.

 **You know, it sounds like Stiles isn't the only one who imprinted. Dawn sounds pretty much swept-off-her-feet in love, too.**

I frowned.

 **Really? I don't feel like what Stiles just described. I mean I feel the bond and freakishly serious connection to him, but I don't feel the need to be at his every beck and call.**

Derek cocked his head.

 **Hmm, I wonder if it might be different for girls. I mean, we've only ever had Erica, and she hasn't imprinted yet. We didn't even think she could.**

I looked to Derek in shock.

 **Wait, Erica's the only girl in the pack?**

Derek shook his head and was about to say something but Erica beat him to it.

 **I'm the only girl ever. Aside from me, there's never been another female wolf in our history.**

She sounded very proud of this fact, but I think she had a right to be. Being the first and only female wolf in tribe legend, she was literally making history herself.

I shook that thought off and focused again.  
I turned to Derek and asked

 **So, you think that, because we're girls, the imprinting is different for us? Cause I find that a little cliché. The girls being saved by prince charming and all that.**

Then I looked back up at Stiles, and I was happy to see that he was already looking at me.

 **Not that I mind a whole lot.**  
 **But I do think that not every girl, or in this case, just Erica, would be happy with that option. Not everyone wants to be saved by a prince, no matter what their childhood selves will tell you.**

I could see that I had surprised them with my little speech. Then again, I had surprised myself, too.

Derek chuckled and said again

 **Like I said, it might be different for girls, but it also might not be. Maybe it just depends on the person. I mean, look at us. Scott and I are both pretty level headed, but we've been known to get very protective of the things we care about. That's just how we are.**

I thought about that for a moment. Then nodded.

 **Yeah, that makes sense.**

Derek nodded, but then changed the subject.

 **Alright, now that that's out of the way, let's get to more immediate matters.**

I nodded back in response.

 **Dawn, you need to learn how to walk and, eventually, run. The sooner you get this down, the better. But it won't take that long anyways. Running is second nature for us. You basically just need to remind your body of the feeling of running.**

I nodded again, already focusing on that and temporarily forgetting about the previous conversation.

Stiles moved to my left side and braced himself there, supporting me so I could lean against him.

I thanked him without saying anything, then looked down at my front feet.  
Slowly, so I wouldn't immediately fall on my face, I lifted my right leg and took a step forward. Stiles stepped with me, in case I did fall. Luckily, I didn't. It seemed my new wolf body was very balanced and coordinated.

Much more confident now, I quickly stepped with my left leg, then the right again.  
I continued walking and didn't even notice when I stopped leaning against Stiles. I still felt him close by my side, though. From what I knew of this imprinting thing, we would probably have some trouble staying away from each other for a while.

Anyways, very soon after that, I had mastered the art of walking in my wolf form. I then moved onto jogging, then loping, then finally flat out running.

Once I felt like I had teach a training course on the art of running as a wolf, Stiles challenged me to a race.

 **Only if you don't let me win. I don't care if you are way faster than me and obviously going to win by a landslide. It needs to be a fair race so I can know how much faster I need to get before I can cream you.**

 **Oh, you're on little girl! Let's do this!**

We both laughed, then got into our positions at the invisible starting line.  
Once we were settled, Stiles set the rules.

 **First one to run around that lightning split tree and back, kay?**

 **Okay. Ready?**

 **Ready. Count together, on three. Good?**

 **Good. You start.**

 **Alright. One…**

 **Two…**

 **Three!**

We both took off.

Behind us, yet also in our minds, we heard the others laughing and teasing us good naturedly, spurring the both of us on faster.

The lighting tree was about fifty yards from the starting point; an easy run.

I think it surprised everyone when I soon found myself keeping an even pace just a couple feet behind Stiles. We both pushed ourselves faster.

Soon we passed the tree, both of us making a sharp turn behind it, though Stiles' was a little better than mine, and began the run back.

We both pushed ourselves to the max, yet we were both sending the other silent encouragement.

In the end, Stiles won of course. But, I was proud to say that I was able to come in second a few feet behind him.

I was jogging around the small clearing, working off the weariness and soon to come stiffness in my legs and shoulders, when all of a sudden, my senses were all on alert.

I skidded to a stop just in time. Right in front of me, only about a yard away, three great wolves walked out, also stopping.

There was a dark silver wolf on the left, a light gray wolf on the right and a completely black wolf in the middle, the clear leader.

I stared at them for a second, in shock as they were all taller than me and pretty intimidating, and they stared back in the same, though not for the same reasons. Finally, came to my senses and laid my ears back against my skull in warning, crouching low to the ground in a defensive stance as I began to back up. I was a little scared, but there was no way I was going to let them see it.

But just before I made it two steps, Stiles was beside me once again.

 **It's alright, Dawn. It's just Peter.**

He might have said this to me, but, at the same time, he side-stepped so his neck and shoulders hid me from the view of the three newcomers and turned his head to face them.  
It was very obviously a protective stance, and a very possessive one.

I tried lifting my head up, but I still couldn't see anything past Stiles' shoulder. So, instead, I stretched my head down so I was peeking under Stiles' ribs. I was able to see this way but it made feel kind of like a little puppy. So I raised head and nudged Stiles' shoulder.

He didn't turn to look at me but he shifted his weight towards me to let me know he was listening, still keeping his eyes on the apparent threat in front of us.

 **Stiles, do you know them? Are they dangerous?**

Stiles responded with a snort.

 **Yes and yes.**

I huffed and rolled my eyes, seeing right through him.

 **You know what I mean. Are they gonna hurt me?**

Stiles sighed.

 **No, probably not.**

He moved back revealing me to them once again.  
I felt their eyes immediately shift back onto my figure, still staring at me in shock.

I almost regretted making Stiles move. The way they were staring made me uncomfortable. From what I could tell, Stiles felt the same way, only he was reacting in a more hostile way. I instinctively leaned into Stiles; partially to comfort myself and partially to calm him.

It actually worked, at least for me. Stiles didn't loosen his tense stance. I knew I wouldn't be able get through to him much, so I asked Derek, though not moving my gaze.

 **Derek, who are these guys, why are they staring at me like that, how can we make them stop before Stile skills them, and can they hear us?**

Derek chuckled.

 **Okay, first of all; yes, they can all hear us now. Second, that's Peter in the middle, Boyd on the right and Jackson on the left. Third, they're staring because you're are the only other female wolf they've seen besides Erica. And fourth, you'll have to figure out yourself. Stiles is going to be a little protective of you for a while and you're the only one who'll be able to snap him out of moments like this.**

Oh.  
Well okay then.

I tore my gaze from the three wolves and turned to face Stiles. I nudged his shoulder.

 **Hello? Stiles, I know you can hear me. They're not gonna hurt me. I'm fine.**

I nudged his shoulder harder.

Finally, I sighed.

 **You really gonna make me do this before we've even had a first date?**

He didn't budge. I sighed again.

Then I reached up and softly licked his furry cheek.

 _That_ got his attention. He jerked, then turned his head around to face me. I smiled.

 **Hi. Remember me?**

He shook his head, like he was trying to clear it.

 **Sorry. I got a little side-tracked.**

I shook my head back, but in dismissal.

 **It's fine. I get it. You're feeling protective over your new…whatever it is I am.**

Stiles laughed.

 **You're my imprint. That's all it is for now.**

I laughed with him for a second. Until a new voice interrupted us.

 **You imprinted Stiles? On _her?_**

I was surprised to hear the amount of incredulity in Peter's voice. I looked at him in shock again while Stiles turned and growled viciously, stepping forward.

 **Don't you dare talk like that about her! You might be an Alpha, Peter, but that won't stop me from tearing you apart!**

Peter's ears laid back against his skull at the threat, but he managed to reply calmly enough.

 **Easy Stiles. I was just surprised that you imprinted on another wolf. That's never been done before. There's never been a female wolf until we got Erica. And now we have her too.**

I relaxed at Peter's explanation. It made sense. Being the second female wolf ever heard of, I was bound to be an object of disbelief. Even more when they found out that not only had Stiles imprinted on me, but I had also imprinted on him.

Peter heard this and his head jerked back to me.

 **You imprinted on him, too!? How is that possible?**

If I could have, I would have raised an eyebrow at his comment because he was seriously pushing line. Before Stiles could lunge, I stepped between them.

 **Yes I did. And no, I don't know how it's possible, and I doubt that anyone does. This is all new stuff to me, but some of it's also new to you guys. Just chill with the disbelief for a second, alright? We'll figure it out at some point but having a heart attack now won't help.**

I swear, everyone simply stared at me for a few seconds. Stiles was the first to react.

He smiled and nudged my muzzle.

 **That's my girl.**

I would have blushed if I was able. All this affection that came with being an imprintee was going to take some getting used to.

I shifted my feet, unconsciously moving closer to Stiles.

 **Anyways. Now that that is settled, I have a question.**  
 **Everyone knows about Peter Hale's _gang_ of supposed protectors. Are you the same Peter? And is the gang?**

I heard Peter sigh and turn to look at his two companions.

 **Am I really that well known as the leader of a _gang?_**

Jackson and Boyd both nodded. Jackson replied.

 **Yep. It's all the buzz at school.**

Then Stiles pitched in.

 **Before I phased and found out about all this, I used to call you guys 'hall monitors on steroids'. Apparently the concept caught on fairly quickly.**

I turned to look at Stiles in shock.

 **You're the one that started that?**

Stiles looked back, a wolfy smirk on his face.

 **Oh, yeah. It was just a passing comment, but the guys thought it was hilarious and spread the word.**

I shook my head in wonder and amazement.

 **Wow, I really didn't expect that.**

 **That just shows how little you know me.**

I gave him a look.

 **Stiles, we met like, an hour ago. I really only know you a little.**

Then I turned back to look at Peter.

 **So, I'm assuming that I was right? This the gang? A gang of werewolves?**

Erica laughed behind me and crouched down in a hunting stance.

 **Yup. We're a vicious gang of werewolves, here to terrorize the miniscule town of Beacon Hills. And we'll never stop. Not until everyone is dead!**

Erica and I both burst into laughter. Though I noticed, once we stopped, everyone else was staring at the two of us in astonishment.

 **What?**

Stiles, like every time I spoke, was the first to recover and answer.  
He chuckled, realizing that I really had only been introduced to this life an hour ago, and didn't know all the little inside jokes and things like they did.

 **Erica's not one to laugh like that. Very rarely does she even be anything other than bitter all the time. It's very disorienting to hear her be so carefree all of a sudden.**

I frowned, but didn't ask the obvious question. Instead, I turned my head to look at Erica and said

 **Well, then it's a good thing she's got a new girlfriend to complain to.**

We both smiled at each other.  
I turned to look at Peter and asked the other question I had in mind.

 **So I heard Stiles say earlier that you were an Alpha. That means you're the leader of the pack right? And then someone else is the beta and so on?**

Peter chuckled.

 **Well, I guess you could say that. Aside from the Alpha, we've never really gone on to serious formalities. But, yes, I'm an Alpha. However, Derek is the Alpha of your pack. You follow him, not me.**

I frowned.

 **Wait, there are two packs? Or is there even more? This is really confusing.**

Stiles chuckled and nudged me.

 **It is until you figure it all out. See, there used to be only one pack. I won't explain exactly how it all happened, cause then we'll be here forever, but basically, Derek became an Alpha and since there can't be two Alpha's in one pack, he left. Right after that, Isaac joined his pack, then Erica. Then a little while after that, Scott and I joined. So now there are two packs. Peter is the Alpha of the original and Boyd, Jackson, Liam and are in his pack.**

Oh, well now that makes sense.

 **Well, I think I'm pretty much all caught up on all this wolf stuff, but I have one last question.**

I turned around to face Derek.

 **How do I phase back?**

Soon after that, Erica and I were circling the forest around my house.

 **Mom and Dad are still out, but seeing as what time it is, they could be back any minute, so we really need to hurry.**

Erica nodded.

 **Okay, here's what we'll do. I'll phase and go get you some clothes. Then I'll come back here and we'll work on you phasing back.**

I nodded.

 **Okay. All my tops are in the closet and my shoes are on the floor of it. Shorts are in the dresser. Third drawer.**

Erica smirked.

 **You some sort of organized freak?**

I snorted.

 **Hell, no. My mom comes into my room and arranges everything. I swear, it's impossible to hide anything from her.**

Erica just rolled her eyes.

 **Whatever. I'm gonna phase now so brace yourself.**

I did more than that. I laid down on the forest floor and covered my eyes with my paws.  
I heard Erica snort.

 **What? You said to brace myself. I'm bracing myself.**

 **You guys do know that we can still hear you, right?**

I started in surprise when I heard Scott's voice speak up suddenly in my mind.

 **Scott! Have you been listening the entire time?**

He sounded sheepish when he replied.

 **Um, yeah? We all have. Mind link, remember?**

 **Ugh. Am I never going to have any privacy ever again?**

This time, Stiles' voice came back to me.

 **Nope! Soon we're going to know all of your secrets. There's no hiding anything in the pack.**

 **Yeah, yeah. We'll see.**

 **We certainly will. And I can't wait to see you try.**

 **Hey, can we get back to helping Dawn turn back into a normal human girl? I wanna see what she look like.**

Hearing Erica say that jolted me back to the present problem.

 **You know, Erica's right.**

I could literally hear the shock that flew through their minds at what I said.

 **She is?**

 **I am?**

I rolled my eyes and continued.

 **I mean, you guys have no idea what I look like, and I have no idea what any of you look like. We should really do something about that.**

Derek spoke up as soon as I finished.

 **We're having a bonfire tonight. Both packs are going to be there. It's something we do every night or so to keep in touch and keep track of what's going on. You're a part of the pack now so you get to come.**

Well that solved that problem.

 **Okay, what time do I have to be there?**

 **We kind of just start whenever, but try and be there around 8. That work?**

I snorted out loud and rolled my eyes, even though I knew he couldn't see me. But Erica saw and gave a short laugh.

 **I'm not a five year old setting up a playdate with a friend from kindergarten. I can stay out late if I want. I'm pretty independent.**

 **Alright, alright. I get the point.**

 **See you tonight then, Dawn.**

 **You to, Stiles.**

 **Oh great. They're gonna start the lovey-dovey talk already? I'm too young to hear this.**

 **You'd better get used to it, Isaac. You're gonna get double-time from the both of us.**

 **Ugh, I can't handle it. I'm out of here. See y'all at the bonfire tonight.**

There was a chorused reply to Isaac's goodbye. Then the rest of them went back to doing whatever they were before this.

I turned to Erica, then made a big show of re-covering my eyes.

Erica laughed.

 **You know, you can't protect your eyes forever. Eventually, you're gonna get a peek here and there. Maybe even more than that, seeing as how you and Stiles are going to stick like glue.**

I responded without moving my paws.

 **Be that as it may, I'm going to attempt to protect my sanity for as long as possible.**

She simply laughed again.

I didn't hear anything for the next few seconds.  
Then I heard the shuffling of clothes and Erica's voice rang out.

"I'll be right back."

I waited about 10 minutes before I heard her making her way back.

Carefully, I removed my paws from eyes.

Erica was fully dressed and carrying a bundle of my clothes. I stood up and shook myself. Then I walked towards her and gently took the bundle from her in between my teeth.

I turned and jogged back further into the forest. Once I was sure she wasn't able to see me anymore, I dropped the bundle and ran through what they told me to do.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, calming myself. Then I focused on the coolness in my chest, making it spread throughout my entire body. I felt the cool feeling slowly start to grow colder, turn into more of a burning. I gasped when it finally reached my feet, making the tips of my toes tingle. I felt a kind of shimmer in the air.

When I opened my eyes again, I was my human self.  
My very naked human self.

I quickly dug through my clothes and pulled them on. A pair of jean short-shorts, sandals and a loose dark blue halter top. I ran my hands through my black hair as a make-shift combing, leaving it down. I was glad I had recently cut my hair. It was just below shoulder length now, whereas before it had gone all the way to my waist.

I had a suspicion that the hair length was connected to the fur length of a wolf. I could confirm that later though.

I couldn't wait for tonight to come.

I walked back to Erica. It surprised me that, when I came into her sight, her eyes widened.

"What?" I asked her. Seriously, what?

"I kind of hate to say it, but I think Stiles got pretty lucky. Not only are you an unusual color as wolf, but you aren't lacking in looks either."

It was my turn for surprise. Then I blushed. Badly.

"Oh, well, um…thank you."

She smiled, and it almost seemed kind.

The moment was ruined, however when I heard my parents car pull up to the house.

I turned back to Erica and asked skeptically,

"If I tried to give you a hug, what would happen?"

She shrugged. "Normally, if you were a guy, I'd kick your balls and you wouldn't be able to sit for a week. But…I suppose I can make an exception."

I smiled, then walked forward and caught her in an easy embrace. Easy as in gentle, but also because we were the same height so it was easy to hug her.

I heard her grunt, then wrap her arms around me, returning the hug.  
We pulled back and parted with promises to see each other tonight.

Then I walked up to my house.

I couldn't wait for tonight.

Like almost everything in Beacon Hills, First Beach was only about a 10 minute walk from my house. That night, I said goodbye to my parents, saying I would be out late, then began the walk there.

I was practically bursting with anticipation. The only way I would be able to tell which one was which would be by listening to their voices.

I had no idea what Stiles looked like.

I finally made it to First Beach. As soon as I did, I saw the bonfire in the process of being lit. It was about halfway down the beach and to the right. I picked up my pace slightly as I made my way towards them.

When I was less than halfway to them, every single one of them turned to look at me. Once again, I felt my face heat up. I guessed, now that I was close, that there was maybe 18 of them.

Once I was spotted, I saw Erica get up and jog up to me. She was closely followed by a boy.

"About time you made it. Stiles has been losing it all day." Erica greeted me with a quick hug then turned to the boy who had followed her.

His hair was sleek dark brown and was left in a messy pile above his head. His skin was pale and every inch of skin was scattered with moles. He wore only a pair of tan cut-offs. He was even barefoot. He had a slightly lanky build but I could still see muscles rippling under his skin..

I smiled when he came close. We shook hands as we stared each other.  
Finally, I broke the silence.

"Hi. It might be obvious, but I'm Dawn. I'd add that I know you, and I probably do, but I don't know which one you are."

He smiled a brilliant white smile and replied. I think I had a heart attack when I heard his voice.

"I would have thought that you would recognize me at least."

My eyes widened and my mouth fell open.

Immediately, I shot forward and threw my arms around his neck. He laughed and wrapped me in his arms, lifting me up in the air.

"Stiles!"

I heard the others laughing as well, but, at the moment, I didn't care. Stiles gently set me back on my feet, leaning back to look me over.

I blushed at the look on his face.

"Wow. Erica was right. I'm the luckiest guy in the world to have a girl like you as my soulmate."

I cleared my throat in an attempt to talk.  
"Um, thanks."  
Wow. Real creative, Dawn.

Stiles smiled anyways, and the action immediately calmed me. I smiled back.

"Hey! Are you guys going to stare at each other all night, or can we meet our new sister?"

I laughed and leaned around Em to look at where the voice had come from. I found the source and I knew the voice.

"We're coming Scott! Geez, keep your shorts on."

Everyone burst into more laughter, the sound filling the night air.

Stiles took my hand and led me to the circle. We sat down together, Erica going over to sit a little away from us.

Stiles turned to me and, still smiling, he said.

"See if you can figure out who's who. You've met about half of the people here, so it shouldn't be too hard."

I nodded, then bit my lip as I looked around.

Like I said before, there were 19 people gathered around the bonfire. Not counting the people I knew, which were Stiles, Erica and Scott, I began my search. 6 of the people looked very young, still freshmen I guessed, so they were out. 3 of the others were women, about Erica's age so they were also out.

That left 7 guys. One looked young, not as young as the others but still, so I guessed that he was Liam, the other member of Peter pack. 3 of the guys had the other women in their arms, more imprintees probably. The last 2 were sitting on either side of Erica.

So that meant that the younger one was her adopted brother, Isaac. It also meant that the other guy was Derek, since he was her Alpha, in the same pack as her, and had probably the biggest muscles of the group. So then, back to the other 3, that meant that they were Peter, Boyd and Jackson. Based on their different sizes and how they had looked as wolves, I could tell which one was which.

So, I pointed out my guesses, indicating which I thought was which by name.

I was very surprised to hear that everyone began cheering and laughing. Stiles was grinning from ear to ear as he wrapped an arm around me and pulled me tightly to his side. He leaned down to whisper in my ear.

"That's my girl!"

I'm sure I was blushing madly. I seriously wasn't used to this kind of attention. It was a bit disorienting.

Back in school, I'm not very well known. I mean, sure, I've got friends. But I'm not popular. I'm not teased either. I'm just kind of _there._

I leaned into Stiles, resting my head against his shoulder as everyone quieted down, going back to whatever they were doing before. Across the fire, I saw the woman Peter had in his arms stand up and begin walking towards us, Peter following close behind her. She sat down on the other side of Stiles, settling back into Peter lap.

She smiled kindly at me and I gave one back just as bright.

"Hello, my name is Braeden. I'm Peter's imprint."

"Hi, it's nice to meet you. I'm Dawn and this" I gestured to Stiles "is _my_ imprint."

Stiles snorted in offensive amusement while Peter and Braeden both laughed.

"I know." Braeden said, still smiling. "Peter told me about meeting you earlier today. He said you had quite the effect on everyone, especially Stiles."

We both laughed.

"Well, yes. I suppose I did. At least the effect part."

Braeden and I spent the next hour talking and becoming very good friends, to say the least.  
Towards the end of the hour, Braeden asked me a confusing question.

"So what caused you to phase, Dawn?"

I started. Then asked "What do you mean?"

Braeden raised her eyebrows. "Well something would have had to happen for you to phase. Sometimes it's a sudden surge of some strong emotion. Other times, it's the close proximity of vampires."

I stared at her in confusion. Then I furrowed my eyebrows in concentration. I didn't notice then, but everyone had stopped to listen to our conversation.

"Well, I was feeling fine emotionally, so I don't think that's what happened. And I know Derek said that vampires were real, but I don't know any so I can't tell you if that's why."

Peter interrupted to explain.

"We haven't seen any new vampires around Forks or Beacon Hill's. Have you come in contact with any member of the Argent family recently?"

My eyes widened. "The Argent's are vampires?"

Stiles nodded above me.

"Oh. Well, then, yes I have."

"Less than a week ago, I was at the hospital. I was visiting my mom, she works there. Anyways, when I was leaving I almost literally ran into two of the Argent's. The father and the daughter."

Peter nodded in understanding. "That would be Chris and Allison Argent."

I nodded absently. "Yeah, him. So, soon after that encounter, I got really sick. And I mean really sick. I had a fever over a hundred degrees, I was sweating nonstop, I was throwing up and everything hurt… Basically every symptom you could think of, I had it. I managed to hide how bad it was from my parents, though I still don't know how. I figured I would tough it out and then life would get back normal.

"But the next thing I knew, I was running out into the forest, some instinct telling me to, and all of a sudden, I'm a werewolf."

The camp was silent for a moment. Then Stiles held me tighter and said "Well, I'm sorry you had to go through so much pain, but I am glad you phased. Life wouldn't be the same without you."

I giggled and shoved his side. "Stiles, we just met _today._ Your life hasn't changed _that_ much."

He huffed and the background chatter began to fill in again.

I sighed and settled back into mine and Braeden's conversation, only this time Peter and Stiles joined in as we talked about life as a wolf and Stiles and I got some advice on imprinting.

We stayed up until 11 before Derek and Peter finally called it a night.

I was very excited, to say the least, when Stiles offered to walk me home.

We walked side by side until we made it to the forest. Then Stiles reached out and tentatively took my hand. He smiled uncertainly. I smiled back and gripped his hand more securely, letting him know it was alright. His smile grew and he relaxed, softly stroking the inside of my wrist.

We walked in silence, neither one of us wanting to break it.

Despite only meeting earlier today, Stiles and I already had this sense of normality. As if we had been together forever. We always felt comfortable around each other. There wasn't that feeling of awkwardness that most new couples had.

Apparently the imprinting had made us skip that stage. We already knew everything about each other, so to speak. So we didn't have to feel awkward around each other.

When we were reached the forest area around my house, we stopped. Stiles turned to look at me and I did the same. Instinctively, we both raised our hands and held them together on either side of us.

After a moment of silence, Stiles spoke.

"So, earlier today, when we met Peter and you kissed my cheek to make me snap out of my protective state."

I smiled and nodded. "Yeah…"

He smiled back and continued. "You asked if I was really going to make you do it before we had even had a first date."

I laughed softly. "You have a good memory. I didn't think you heard me."

He joined me, then quieted. "Well, I think we just had our first date."

I caught on immediately and smirked back, asking "So you gonna kiss me for real, or not?"

He smirked back softly, but there was a note of seriousness in his eyes.  
"I'm thinking about it."

Then he separated our linked hands and placed his on either side of my face while I wrapped mine around his neck.

We relaxed into this position for a moment, before he leaned down. He rested his forehead against mine, then slowly and gently slid his lips onto mine.

Immediately, it's like a dam broke.

We melted together, folding ourselves into the body of the other. One of his hands drifted down to grip my waist and the other curved around my neck, pulling me closer against him. Meanwhile, I tightened my arms around his neck, lifting my hands to gently tug in his short, soft hair.

Finally, we broke apart, both of us breathing heavily at the intensity of our first kiss.

"Wow." Stiles said simply, softly. "That was…"

"Amazing." I finished for him.

We both smiled. "And that was line was totally cliché." Stiles said. We both laughed and leaned back into each other, arms looped around the other's waist in a relaxed embrace.

But soon we pulled back. It was getting later by the minute and we both needed to get home.

"I'll see you in school tomorrow."

I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion. "We don't have any classes together. Do we?"

Stiles shrugged. "I don't remember, but even if we don't, we still have lunch."

I raised my eyebrows in question. Stiles began explaining as soon as he saw my expression. "The pack sits together at lunch. Erica and Peter aren't in school, but the rest of us stick pretty close. Even though some of the others are in a different pack, we're all still the same crowd at school. But, anyways. You're a part of that now."

I nodded in understanding.

Stiles squinted at me slightly then asked worriedly. "If you don't want to, you don't have to. No one's going to force you to do anything. You must have some friends already that you hang out with."

I have to say, my own reaction surprised me when I heard his words. The thought of _not_ being near him, not _seeing_ him, for an entire _day_ ….

Absolutely terrified me.

I shook my head fast. "No! I'm fine with sitting with you guys. It actually sounds like a nice way to get to know everyone more. I'm glad."

Stiles' brows furrowed in confusion. "Then why did you have that look on your face?

I shrugged and looked down, slightly embarrassed now by my thoughts.

"I was actually just thinking that the amount of….companionship I seemed to have gained overnight is kind of…. Well, its bit disorienting."

Stiles chuckled. "Yeah, it'll feel like that about a lot of things for a while. But you get used to it. Besides," He leaned down to nuzzle my nose affectionately. "You'll have me to help you endure it all, so you don't have to worry."

I laughed with him.

When we finally parted for the night. Stiles first kissed me softly, then pecked me once…twice…thrice…

But we eventually managed to pull apart.

As I ran back to my house, I reviewed the entire day's events: From phasing for the first time, realizing that our tribe myths were all true, meeting Stiles…

Then I wondered if tomorrow could possibly be anything like today. It seemed impossible.

But then again, anything seemed possible now.

Despite the late hour that I fell asleep at, I woke up early the next morning feeling refreshed and very cheerful.

Oh wait, did I seriously just say that? Ugh. I sounded like a Disney princess.

Anyways, let's just say that (for some reason completely unknown to me) I felt particularly happy that morning.

I dressed in a pair of dark jeans and a white cropped button-up then threw my hair into a high tail and left my room.  
I trotted lightly down the stairs and headed straight for the kitchen.

I spent the next few minutes making breakfast.

When I finished, I got out a few plates and placed them on the table, along with some utensils. Then I laid the big round plate of food in the middle.

Just when I finished, I heard my parents making their way downstairs.

When they entered, I smiled and greeted them. They sat down and I went back to setting up the coffee. However, when I turned back with mugs for them, I found them both smiling at me. I raised an eyebrow back at them in question. They both took their cups and my mom answered with fake innocence written all over her face.

"We were just wondering how your night out went. Did you make some new friends?"

My eyes narrowed in suspicion but I couldn't help but keep smiling.

"You guys saw me last night, didn't you?"

My mom smiled brightly, not bothering to deny the fact. "What's his name?"

I sat down across from them. "Stiles Stilinski."

At this, my parent's smiles faded into interest, along with some suppressed worry.

"Isn't he one of those 'protectors' everyone talks about?" My dad asked, his eyebrows raised. I nodded, but then began to explain.

"Yes, but they really are protectors. I know everyone thinks they're some kind of gang, but they're not. They are all actually really nice."

My mom leaned forward. "Who did you meet?"

I counted off on my fingers as I listed everyone. "Derek Hale, Isaac and Erica Reyes, Scott McCall, Peter Hale, Boyd, and Jackson Whitmore. They were some others and Peter, Boyd and Jackson all brought their girlfriends. Well, Peter brought his wife, Braeden."

"And how did you meet them?"

"Well I met all the guys and Erica when I was walking in the forest yesterday. Then when Stiles and I hit it off, they invited me to the bonfire I went to last night. It was kind of like our first date. But anyways, like I said, they are all really nice and I get along really well with them. Erica and I actually became fast friends. She can be a bit blunt sometimes, but I think she feels freer around me. All the guys were very surprised when we started talking together."

My parents seemed to relax with every word I said, when it became apparent that that I hadn't been doing anything bad. They did give me a lot of freedom, but they were still parents, and parents worry. A lot.

"Well I'm glad you had fun. Are you going to see them today?" My mom asked, beginning on the food in front of her.

I nodded, smiling again.

"Well, why don't you invite them all over for dinner?" Then she frowned slightly in concentration. "Actually, that might be kind of hard to do. There is quite a few of them and we'd have to prepare a lot of things."

I nodded again in agreement.

"We could do that in a few weeks or so. If you want though, Stiles could just come over. Plus it might be a good idea to meet my…well meet him first."

I caught myself just before I said 'boyfriend'.  
The thing was, I didn't know if he really was my boyfriend. Even though the mutual imprinting made us skip the 'getting to know each other' stage, we really did only meet yesterday. Were we seriously dating now? Or were we kind of dating to see if we worked out?

Well, of course we would work out. I knew enough about what had happened to know that. But I didn't know enough about the imprinting to know if the connection we had would ever fade. Would I be interested in other guys? Would he be interested in girls?

I ran through a million questions on my way to school, all doubting, on some point, my relationship with Stiles because of the imprint. I was so distracted, I'm surprised I was able to make it there unscathed.

I barely remember parking and getting out of the car.  
But I finally snapped out of my trance when I felt his presence. I mean literally felt it.

I looked up to see him standing in front of me on the walk that lead to the school. Stiles was smiling, but I sensed some nervousness behind it.

Despite all of my worries, I couldn't help but smile back. He still cared enough to meet me outside the school. Maybe we were good after all.

As I came to a stop in front of him, we both reached out by instinct and clasped our hands together. Stiles gently pulled me to him until we were barely less than an inch apart.

"Hi." Stiles said softly.

My smile softened lovingly, making his do the same, as I responded. "Hi."

We spent maybe a minute just staring at each other.  
Then at the same time, we both spoke quickly.

"Stiles, I need to ask you something."

"Dawn, I need to ask you something."

We both burst into laughter, our arms going around each other.

"You first." Stiles said, still chuckling.

I bit my lip, remembering that I was nervous.

"Stiles, do you still…do you still, um, you know…like me?" I squeaked out the last two words then bit my lip and dipped my head, not wanting to see his expression.

I heard him sigh and I cringed, trying to pull my hands back, but he held on to them.

"Dawn, I know I was about to ask the same question, but right now it seems very silly."  
I felt his hand on my chin and then felt him push it up so I was once again, looking up at him. His thumb reached up and smoothed across my bottom lip, making me I release it from the clutches of my teeth. He continued to stroke my lip, in what was a surprisingly soothing gesture.

"I love you."

He said it so softly, that if not for my enhanced wolf hearing, I wouldn't have heard it.

But I did.  
My Stiles said 'I love you'.

I stared at him incredulously.  
Did I really just hear that?  
I must be dreaming.

But one look at Stiles and I knew this was no dream.  
He was looking at me, anxiously and nervously.  
I knew what I wanted to say.

"I love you, too."

At first, he looked like he was trying to process what I had just said.  
But then realization spread across his features.  
Then they finally lit up with absolute joy.

"Really?" He breathed, staring down at me in amazement. The unconditional love he felt was written clear as day on his face.

I nodded. I felt as though my face was going to break with the grin that I wore.

We both laughed as Stiles lifted me into the air and hugged me to him. My torso was pressed against his and my arms went around his neck while his supported me around my waist.

We shared a deep, passionate kiss, though the both of us couldn't stop smiling.

Finally, we pulled apart.  
Stiles set me down and pulled me to his side then placed his arm securely around my waist to keep me there.

As we walked into the school, I remembered something. But now, I wasn't afraid to say it.

"By the way, my parents want to meet my new boyfriend."

Stiles laughed and added

"And I want to meet my new girlfriend's parents."

We both burst into laughter as we entered the school for the first time as a new…whatever it is we were.

Stiles and I were inseparable all day long. Before school started, we both went to the office had our schedules changed so that we now had every class together. We sat next to each other in our classes and basically tutored each other in whatever class the other was new in.

When lunch rolled around, I was welcomed by the pack like I had been a part of it as long as they had.

Peter and Erica had already graduated, but other than that, the entire pack was there, sitting at the long table that just sat all of them. Stiles and I walked over with our hands clasped, talking animatedly. When we came to the table, sitting close so our hips and legs were pressed together, we raised a bunch of hoots and cat-calls from the boys.

I blushed and Stiles glared around at them.

When they were finally done, they all returned to their earlier conversations, only now including the two of us.

The school day finally ended and Stiles and I drove home in my car, him having gotten a ride with Scott that morning.  
During the ride, I explained what my parents and I had discussed that morning. Stiles readily agreed.

I pulled up in front of my house and we sat there a moment.  
"Normally, this is where the couple starts freaking out about meeting the parents."

We laughed and got out of the car, grabbing our bags. We met around the front and Stiles leaned down and gently pecked my lips.

"I'm sure it'll be fine Dawn. Now, tell me to 'just be myself'."

I grinned, then grabbed his hand and swung it up dramatically.  
"You just have to be yourself, baby." I said overly sincerely.

He looked down at me with fake anxiousness. "But how do you know if they'll like me?"

I bit back a laugh and responded with wide eyed sincerity. "Because I fell in love with your personality and charm and that is who my parents will love."

We both exploded into giggles. I pulled him along with me onto the porch and pushed the door open, both of us still laughing.

"Mom, Dad! I'm home." I said almost clearly. But when I looked back at Stiles grinned and said "And I brought a friend."

We dropped our bags next to the door at the same time that my parents walked out of the kitchen. We both sobered up quickly. A second later, Stiles stepped forward with his hand held out to my father and said "Hello Mr. Lake. I'm Stiles Stilinski."

My father raised a brow and studied him for a moment before he nodded and shook Stiles hand, glancing at me.

"It's nice to meet you, young man. You have fair manners for a kid your age. Just how old are you anyways?"

I groaned internally at the direct approach my dad had taken, but Stiles simply took it in stride.

"I'm 17, sir."

My dad shook his head and smiled. I sighed softly in relief.  
"There's no need for formalities here. As long as you have no bad intentions for Dawn, then we will get along fine."

Stiles smiled back and looked to me, locking his gaze with mine as he responded.  
"Trust me, when I say that I want just for her to be happy and I think that I might be able to do that."

Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed my parents exchange knowing smiles as me and Stiles gazed at each other.

Suddenly my mother cleared her throat and both of us snapped to her. She was smiling a brilliant happy smile and I felt myself relaxing. They liked him. Thank goodness.

"Dawn, why don't you show Stiles around the house. Then you two can go relax in the living room."

I nodded and reached forward to grab Stiles hand. As I led him out of the room, I heard my parents whispering to each other. If it weren't for my wolf hearing, I would never have been able to hear them.

" _Ryan, those two are head over heels in love with each other. I'm so glad Dawn finally found someone for her. 17 years old and she's never shown any serious interest in anyone else. It isn't natural."_

" _Well, at least I'll get a break from all your worrying now. But since you're the love expert, what do you think of Stiles?"_

" _Oh, he's perfect. He has lots of respect for us already, if you didn't notice. And did you see how big he is? Goodness knows that boy could take out a lion and not break a sweat."_

I didn't pay attention to whatever my dad said next because Stiles leaned down then and whispered to me, "I've never actually tried a lion before. I bet it would be fun though."

I turned and, trying to ignore how close we were, whispered back, "Only you would call wrestling a lion 'fun'."

He chuckled silently. Then he inclined his head and pressed his lips against mine. I felt his tongue flick out across my lips before he gently sucked them clean again. He pulled away then and left me standing there, panting and staring up at him in surprise.

"So are you going to show me around, or not?" Stiles asked me, smirking. I nodded absently back at him. Then I shook my head slightly. And turned back around.

We spent the next few minutes going around the house, with me leading him around, our hands never breaking.

When we were finished, we went back to the living room and sat down on the couch. Once we had settled, I took Stiles hand and placed it in my lap. He simply sat there and watched me as I softly traced the lines on his palm and then carefully compared our hands. His was so much bigger than mine.

When I was done, Stiles gently took my hand and did the same examination.

We finally folded our hands together, leaned against each other and just cuddled.

I wasn't exactly sure about where our relationship would be going from here, but for now I was content to stay here with Stiles, enjoying him as he enjoyed me.

I just hoped we survived the embarrassment my parents were surely preparing for.


End file.
